1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus for feeding a sheet such as a stimulable phosphor sheet or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
A system is known for recording radiation image information of a subject such as a human body with a stimulable phosphor, and reproducing the recorded radiation image information on a photosensitive medium such as a photographic film, or displaying the recorded radiation image information on a display device such as a CRT or the like.
The stimulable phosphor is a phosphor which, when exposed to an applied radiation (X-rays, xcex1-rays, xcex3-rays, electron beams, ultraviolet radiation, or the like), stores a part of the energy of the radiation, and, when subsequently exposed to applied exciting rays such as visible light, emits light in proportion to the stored energy of the radiation. Usually, a sheet provided with a layer of the stimulable phosphor is used as a stimulable phosphor sheet.
The above known system includes a radiation image information reading apparatus which comprises an imaging unit 25 for recording the radiation image information of a subject on a stimulable phosphor sheet, and a reading unit for photoelectrically reading the recorded radiation image information from the stimulable phosphor sheet by applying exciting light to the stimulable phosphor sheet.
The radiation image information reading apparatus has a feed system for feeding the stimulable phosphor sheet between the imaging unit and the reading unit. The feed system has roller pairs for feeding the stimulable phosphor sheet while nipping opposite side regions of the stimulable phosphor sheet which serve as non-recording regions.
When the stimulable phosphor sheet is fed while lying in a horizontal plane, the stimulable phosphor sheet tends to be flexed under its own weight. When the stimulable phosphor sheet is flexed, its image recording surface may possibly be brought into contact with the shafts of roller pairs.
Such contact between the stimulable phosphor sheet and the roller shafts may be avoided by increasing the diameters of the rollers of the roller pairs. However, the radiation image information reading apparatus which incorporates the rollers with the increased diameters necessarily becomes larger in size.
It is a major object of the present invention to provide a sheet feeding apparatus which is arranged to prevent a sheet from contacting shafts of roller pairs and which is also relatively small in size.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.